Vineyard Distinctives
The Vineyard Church has a set of distinctives which define our character and our place in the broader Church. These show our personality as a family of churches and inform the way we do things.
EVERYONE GETS TO PLAY:
In the Vineyard, everyone is given the gifts, skills and calling to serve God. We believe that anyone can do the work of the Kingdom – we are all commissioned.
THE MAIN AND THE PLAIN:
Our experience of the Kingdom of God is rooted in the words and works of Jesus. We teach the Bible, and the main and plain of the Kingdom.
THE NOW AND THE NOT YET:
God’s Kingdom is here – it is NOW. It is also not fully here – it is NOT YET. That means we have a theology both for signs and wonders, and for suffering.
COME AS YOU ARE – BUT DON’T STAY AS YOU ARE:
You’ll be loved no matter what state you are in when you come to the Vineyard. We also believe that Jesus can change us, so we say “Yes”. Jesus invites everyone to come to Him just as they are – and by the power of the Holy Spirit, to be continually transformed into His likeness.
NATURALLY SUPERNATURAL:
God has been working miracles throughout human history, and still does today. As his people, we can walk in His power to bring His Kingdom. Going about our lives naturally, we take Jesus seriously when He said “Go, heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons – freely you have received, freely give” and we listen to God’s voice in all circumstances.
REMEMBER THE POOR:
Core to Jesus’ ministry was caring for the poor, the lost, the outcast and the outsider – those who were needy in both the physical and spiritual. We want to continue this and serve the poor around us. We are all in need, in some way. Jesus demonstrated what it meant to live on the fringe, speaking truth to power and giving a voice to the voiceless.
FAITH IS SPELT ‘R-I-S-K’:
John Wimber once said that faith is spelled “R-I-S-K”. We believe the call to be the Body of Christ involves getting outside of our comfort zones. Adventurous faith is welcome in the Vineyard.
“COME HOLY SPIRIT”:
This is our central prayer – “Come, Holy Spirit”. As Carol Wimber used to tell us, “There should never be a time in our gatherings together that we don’t invite the Holy Spirit.” We all need a constant filling of the Holy Spirit.
WORSHIPPERS OF GOD AND RESCUERS OF PEOPLE:
Only God is worthy of our worship. No one else and nothing else is worthy. We are given to express worship and compassion in every part of our lives. This is our expression of loving God and loving our neighbour. The Church is a search and rescue boat, not a leisure cruise ship.
PLANT CHURCHES WHO PLANT CHURCHES:
The very nature of the Gospel and the Church leads to reproduce kingdom outposts in the world – the planting of new churches. We want to spread the good news far and wide, creating new churches as we go.
EQUIPPING THE SAINTS:
We will continually invest ourselves in training and equipping God’s people to do what Jesus did, equipping the saints for ministry – Ephesians 4:12. Jesus calls us to follow Him – to be disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples.